The LA Times has a new interview up with Hines Ward. Read how he felt during the first elimination, what he thinks about the costumes and more below. More at the link.

Q: This week was the first elimination week. Give people at home a sense of what it is like to be standing on that stage waiting to find out if you are safe or in jeopardy.
It’s nerve-wracking. I didn’t think it would be that bad, but when those lights dim and that serious music comes on, you are just hoping your name is not called as being the one with the lowest score. I was fortunate enough this time to continue on and it’s a good feeling. I really want to go all the way to the end and win this thing.

Q: Are any of your teammates giving you a hard time (good-naturedly) about appearing on the show?
Of course. At first I got a bunch of texts from my teammates teasing me about being on a dancing show. And I was worried about having to wear costumes that are too tight and too colorful and all because I try to be very fashion conscious. But I think I earned their respect after these first two performances and fortunately was able to wear outfits that weren’t too off the wall. I owe a lot to my partner, Kym. She is a great coach and choreographer. My first week I had Franco Harris, Mel Blount and Jerome Bettis at the show. This week my teammate Rashard Mendenhall came. And so far they all thought I did pretty well so I guess they don’t think my dancing is that bad.

Q: If you win the Mirror Ball trophy, will you consider this as the seventh Super Bowl trophy for Steeler Nation?
I really don’t think you can compare the Mirror Ball trophy to the Lombardi because they both stand for two totally different things. But I am going to try to win the Mirror Ball trophy just as hard as I would the Lombardi. I feel bad that we couldn’t bring our third Super Bowl championship back to the city of Pittsburgh so I really want to bring our fans back their first Mirror Ball trophy and represent the Steel City well. I want to become the first active NFL player to win it and make all of Steeler Nation proud.

Also, did you notice the black and gold rubber band Hines wore on the show this past week (see in picture above on his right hand)? He wears it on honor of the Steelers. More below on the bracelet from WTAE and how he plans to help others with it (and you can too!) after a large reponse from the fans.

Ward and dance partner Kym Johnson have been seen wearing the Steelers-themed wristbands on the show.

Due to the large response from fans, Ward and his team are creating their own wristband since the one he wears on the show was given to him by a friend of the Steelers.

Fans will soon be able to purchase the rubber bracelets on HinesWard.com and a portion of the proceeds will go to Ward’s Helping Hands Foundation.

I'm a fashion and music fan....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. One of my favorite dancing quotes at the moment: "No matter what, nobody can take away the dance you've already had...." ~Gleb Savchenko . For fun music and dance mixes, visit WilUnleashed Soundcloud. To view my photography site, see Lisa Kay Photography.